


Addicted To You

by KiannaLeigh



Category: My Candy Love
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Brothels, F/M, M/M, Psychotropic Drugs, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-03-17 07:52:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3521366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiannaLeigh/pseuds/KiannaLeigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Nathaniel shows up to practice acting like a zombie, Rosalya lets Castiel in on a secret she's been keeping. Castiel then meets Lysander, a tall dark and handsome vampire that draws Castiel in with his quiet charm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Meeting

Castiel frowned as he looked at his drummer.

Usually, Nathaniel was the most put together of their band. The blonde as punctual, responsible, damn near perfect. It pissed Castiel off to no ends. The two had been friends and rivals since high school. They ended up in the same band due to a dare. Castiel had declared that Nathaniel could never play in a band, as he didn’t have want it took. Nathaniel had taken the comment to heart, and learned the drums and asked to play with Castiel and his band to prove he could do it. Together with Iris and Rosalya, Castiel and Nathaniel had gone from playing in Castiel’s parents’ basement to playing sold out shows ten years later. In all that time, Castiel had never seen the drummer act like this.

He strolled in, late for practice. It was hot as hell in the studio as the AC for that floor was being worked on, but Nathaniel had long sleeves and a scarf on. He wobbled on his feet. He was pale and sick looking.

“What the hell?” Castiel muttered. “What happened to you?”

Nathaniel looked at him. He had a sort of dreamy expression on his face and he smiled. “Nothing,” he breathed. “Let’s get to work.”

“Let’s get to work,” Castiel sneered. “Just where the hell have you been?”

“I overslept,” the blonde said as he sat down behind his drum set. “It happens.”

“Not at the hotel,” Iris muttered. “I checked your room.”

“So I went out,” Nathaniel shrugged. “Rosalya went out too. I don’t see you hounding her.”

“I came back,” Rosalya pointed out. “And I wasn’t late for practice.”

“It won’t happen again,” the blond said with a smile. “Now. Let’s get to work. We’ve got lost time to make up for.”

Castiel glared, but they did have lost time they had to make up for. He promised himself to hound the man later but otherwise left it alone.

They practiced. Castiel, who wrote the music of their songs, had a couple of new pieces for them to practice. When they were done, Nathaniel excused himself, saying he had a date.

“Hey!” Castiel shouted. “Hey, we’ve got a gig tonight!”

“I’ll be there!” Nathaniel called and was gone before Castiel or anyone else could say anything else.

Castiel cursed. “What the fuck is going on with him?”

Rosalya cleared her throat. “I … I may know.”

“Oh?” Castiel muttered. “Well out with in then.”

The silver haired woman shifted in place and swallowed nervously. “Look. I don’t think you’re going to believe me unless I show you. So just come with me. It’ll all make sense.” She looked at Iris. “You can come too, Iris.”

“Sure,” Iris answered. “Let’s go.”

They told their manager they were going out. Melody, their manager, was the less than thrilled about it. She was even more responsible that Nathaniel. But she let them go without more than a glare and a stern warning to get back on time.

Rosalya lead them outside the record building and they hailed a cab. The ride took them to the edge of downtown where Rosalya paid the driver and lead them into a squat, old building with a highly ornamented door. She rang the bell and they waited. After a few minutes, a small, barred window just above the knocker opened and a pair of blue eyes peered out the inside.

“Yes?” a voice asked from the window.

Rosalya said nothing but fished her wallet out of her pocket and from her wallet pulled out a card which she held up.

“I see,” the voice said and the window closed. In a second the door opened and a tall blonde stood before them. “Welcome back,” he said. “And you brought friends. Wonderful. We love visitors.” The blonde waved them in with a smiled that grated Castiel’s nerves. “I’m Dake, the owner of this fine establishment. And you are …” He took Rosalya’s hand and kissed it. “… beautiful.”

“Actually,” Rosalya said dryly as she pulled her hand away. “I’m Rosalya. This is Castiel and Iris. We’re looking for a friend. Nathaniel?”

“Yes! I remember him coming in. He was just taken up. Would you like me to call for him?” He looked at Castiel and flashed a smile that made Castiel’s skin crawl. “Or would you like a room of your own.”

“Just what sort of place is this?” Castiel growled.

Dake smiled, not in the least unnerved. “Would you like to find out?” he asked. Then he turned. “Leigh!”

A black haired man slipped from the shadows. Castiel heard Rosalya gasp.

The black haired man smiled. “Hello Rosalya,” he said.

“Hello Leigh,” the silver haired woman breathed.

“Leigh,” Dake cut in. “Take the ladies up. Get Armin to help you.”

Leigh nodded and came forward. “This way, my dears,” he said as he took Rosalya’s arm.

Castiel watched them walk away with a frown on his face. “Where are they going?”

“Never mind them. I’ll bring you to your friend now. This way.” Dake walked farther into the house and towards a giant set of stairs. Not a single part of Castiel liked this, but Rosalya had obviously been here before and as much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about Nathaniel. He followed the smiling blonde up the stairs and down several hallways until they came to a particular room. Dake smiled and opened the door. “In here,” he said.

A chill went up Castiel’s spine as he slipped past the man and into the room. Inside was a classy bedroom with a canopy bed, vanity, couch and love seat. But no people.

“What the hell?” Castiel muttered and turned around. “Where’s Nathaniel?”

“I’ll get him,” Dake said. “Please sit.” Before Castiel could lunge forward and grab the man like he wanted to, he was gone.

The red head considered going after the smiling blonde but decided against it after a moment. He wasn’t going to sit down, but he wasn’t going to do anything else either.

He wandered away from the door and towards couch which was in front of a large fireplace and mantle. The fireplace was dead as it was summer, but the mantle was lavishly decorated. Castiel busied himself looking at the glass ornaments on the mantle and didn’t notice that anyone was in the room with him until he happened to look close at an ornament with a glass background and spotted someone else’s reflection in it.

Castiel whipped around to find a man standing behind him. He was taller than Castiel, dressed in clothes that looked like they were from another century. His hair was grey, mostly, with a little black on the left hand side. The cut was uneven. Most of it was short, but the left hand side where it was black, or maybe a darker grey, was longer and fell past the man’s chin. But the most interesting part of him was his eyes. One was a bright brown, amber really, and the other was a light green. Castiel found himself staring into the mismatched eyes, unable to move or speak.

Suddenly the man smiled. “Hello,” he said.

A hot load of saliva filled Castiel’s mouth and he had to swallow. He could feel his heart rate going up. Every inch of him was screaming to touch the man.

“Hey,” Castiel managed. “Where’s Nathaniel?”

“Candy’s bringing him from her room. You’re Castiel, aren’t you?”

“Yea. And you are?”

“Lysander. I believe you met my older brother Leigh.”

Castiel blinked. They were brothers. Made sense. Leigh had been in the same sort of clothes, now that Castiel was thinking about it. He hadn't been paying attention before since he’d been focused on that creepy smiling blonde. But they, Leigh and Lysander, did look alike. Lysander was the more beautiful of the two, however.

“I met him,” Castiel said. “Who’s Candy?”

“A friend of mine. She –” He paused and turned towards the door.

Copying the man Castiel turned towards the door too. It opened and in walked a woman and Nathaniel. The woman was shorter than Nathaniel, but seemed to be supporting him. She word a short dress that looked like several red ribbons tied over a black lace undergarment. Her hair was short, curly and white. She looked at Castiel and smiled and he could see her eyes were mismatched too, a deep green and an opaque blue.

“Candy,” Lysander said.

“Lys. Is this him?”

“Yes. Put him on the bed.”

The woman walked Nathaniel over to the bed and sat him down on it. Castiel stared at his friend and rival. He was awake, but seem not to hear or see anything. His shirt was open, and his sleeves rolled up to reveal ugly bruises spreading over what looked like puncture wounds.

“What the hell did you do to him?” Castiel asked.

“Candy. Please show Castiel what we do here.”

The woman nodded and sat down on the bed with Nathaniel. She looked at Castiel, smiled and opened her mouth. Castiel squinted and was going to ask what the hell was going on, when from her gums, a second set of jagged teeth emerged. Castiel stared in horror and confusion as the woman brought Nathaniel’s arm up to her mouth and bit.

Nathaniel made a soft sound but other than that didn’t seem to notice the woman’s super sharp, jagged teeth tore into his flesh. Castiel felt his stomach turn and the ground seemed to give out from under him. Suddenly the man was right up against him. He had one arm around his waist and hooked the hand of the other under his chin.

“Are you well?” the grey haired man asked.

“She … she …!”

“She’s a vampire,” Lysander finished as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Would you have believed, had you not seen it?”

Castiel regained his footing and should up straight. He looked from Lysander’s mismatched eyes back to the woman would and lapping up blood from a wound on Nathaniel’s arm.

“Doesn’t it … doesn’t it hurt him?”

“Hurt? No! Of course not.” Lysander pulled Castiel gently and brought him towards the sofa. “You see we vampires have a second set of concealed serrated teeth. But the teeth are hollow, like a snake’s fang. When we bite, we inject a sort of venom – for lack of a better term – into the system of the person we bite. It numbs the wound as well as triggering the pleasure receptors in the victim’s brain. Therefore, it does not hurt. On the contrary, it feels good.”

Castiel watched as Nathaniel sat dreamily as the woman bit him again.

“Your friend is quiet receptive to the venom. More so, even than the woman, Rosalya.”

“Rosalya!” Castiel gasped. “She’s here too. And Iris!”

“Fine. They’re both fine. Probably enjoying themselves as much as your friend. And you.” Lysander turned Castiel around and held his chin in his hand. “Would you like to enjoy yourself too?”

The man, the vampire, smiled gently and Castiel felt his body roar for contact.

“I won’t bite,” Lysander whispered. “Not until you tell me to.”

Castiel stared at the taller male for a moment until he found himself nodding. “Do it,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Lysander asked.

“Yes.”

The vampire smiled and guided Castiel down onto the sofa before leaning in a kissing his cheek. Then, the grey haired man opened his mouth and the second set of teeth descended. A jolt of fear ran through Castiel but before he could act on it, Lysander leaned in and bit him.

There was a second of pain. Sharp, terrible pain, like being stabbed in the throat. But in less time than it took for Castiel to know he was in pain, it was gone and he felt a warmth spread from the spot Lysander had bitten out into the rest of his body. He moaned a little. It was good.

Time disappeared. Lysander’s warmth and scent drowned out time and Castiel felt like he was floating with the man. Hours or days could have passed, he wouldn’t have known the difference. He felt better than he ever had in his life. He was spinning gracefully in a void and he liked it.

Castiel opened his eyes and looked around. He found himself lying on his back on the sofa. Lysander was sitting in the chair with Candy on his lap. They were talking softly, laughing every so often. Castiel tried to sit up but found he couldn’t. He groaned.

“Oh!” Lysander said softly. “You’re awake. Hello.”

“Hey,” Castiel slurred.

“Did you enjoy your trip?” Candy asked.

Castiel looked at her, perched on the grey haired man’s lap, and had to stamp down an unnatural and vicious anger. “Yea. I guess. Where’s Nathaniel?”

Both vampires tittered, covering their mouths politely with their hands.

“You’re so protective of him,” Candy said sweetly. “He’s on the bed, sleeping still.” Castiel cast a glared at the vampiric pair before pushing himself to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the sofa. “I wouldn’t get up just yet,” the white haired woman said nicely. “The first time is always a little strange. You won’t be yourself for another couple of hours.”

“We have a show to do,” Castiel growled.

“We know,” Lysander said easily. “Your manager texted you. I took the liberty of texting back, saying you were fine and that you’d see her back stage before the show.”

“You used my phone?” Castiel asked harshly.

“It was necessary,” was all Lysander replied. Candy got up and walked past the couch back to the bed. Lysander rose too, but only to go over and sit next to Castiel on the sofa. “Did you truly enjoy yourself,” he asked earnestly. “I would hate to think I was the only one pleasured by our encounter.

Castiel himself flush. The way the vampire was talking made it seem like they had had sex. But he kept his face set in a hard frown. “I liked it,” he snapped. “It was … indescribable,” he added in a softer tone.

“Good,” Lysander said softly. “So will you come back? I like your taste. I’d like to feed off you again.”

“I … yea. Sure. We’re in town for another couple nights. I’ll come back.”

“Good,” Lysander whispered.

“He’s up!” Candy announced from the bed. She walked around the couch and stood in front of it with her hands on her hips. “I told him you were here. He said: “What’s that bastard doing here?” Not very nice.”

“Pff,” Castiel snorted. “It’s fine. Can we go? Or do we have to pay?”

“You’ve already paid in blood,” Lysander said. “Go. But don’t forget to take a card, so you’ll be let in when you come back.” He stood and put an arm around Candy’s shoulders. “Good night, Castiel. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Good night, Lysander,” Castiel replied then watched the two vampire walk off towards the door then through it and out of the room. He watched the door for a few minutes, wondering if he was really going to come back, before Nathaniel lurched into his line of sight.

“Why’d you come here?” the blonde asked.

“Never mind,” Castiel sighed. “Let’s get the girls.”


	2. The Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lysander comes for a visit and Castiel can't contain himself.

Castiel shifted in place, unsure of what to do with himself. The vampire stood just inside the doorway looking at him with amusement, as if his discomfort was something funny. It pissed Castiel off, but more than being pissed he wished his hotel room wasn’t so messy.

There were clothes strewn all over the bed. There is dishes piled up in the sink of the kitchenette. Coffee mugs littered the living room table and pieces of paper with half written songs lie all over the sofa.

Castiel himself was not in his best form. His hair was a mess. He was dressed in old worn out boxers and nothing else. Well, in his defense it was three in the morning. He couldn’t be expected to look presentable an hour after a show with no sleep to speak of.

“So …” Castiel muttered. “What brings you here?”

“Nathaniel,” Lysander said easily. “And Candy. She’s somewhat infatuated with him right now. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“So she’s with him now?” Castiel asked as he edged towards the bed. He wanted to get some clothes on if the vampire was going to stay.

“Yes. I dropped her off and got your room number from Nathaniel. I figured I might spend some time with you while I’m here.”

“Is that so?” Castiel replied. “Fine.” There was a small patch of silence as Castiel pulled a pair of jeans out of the pile of clothes on one side of the bed and held them up. They didn’t look dirty, but god only knew if they were actually clean.

“There’s no need for you to dress,” Lysander told him. “I’m not uncomfortable with your state of undress. On the contrary I find it … stimulating.”

“Stimulating?” Castiel repeated. “That some way to refer to it.”

“I couldn’t think of a better word,” Lysander answered dismissively. “Do you mind if I take my jacket off?”

“No. I don’t see how you’re wearing a jacket it this heat.”

“A little heat never bothered me,” Lysander said with a smile. He stripped off his jacket and along with it his tie and boots. Thus, undressed he sighed. “Better. Now that we’re both comfortable why don’t we sit down? We could watch a movie.”

“A moive? Sure. Ever seen Underworld?”

Lysander looked at Castiel and quirked a grey eyebrow. “A vampire movie. Interesting choice.”

“So you have seen it.”

“I know of it. I don’t mind seeing what all the fuss is about.”

Castiel dropped the jeans and sauntered over the couch. Or at the very least he tried to saunter. He wanted to seem as at ease as he could in from of the vampire. It wasn’t easy though. For some reason the man made him hyper-aware of himself in a way that he normally was not.

And so trying very hard to seem collected and at ease he cleared the papers off the sofa and collected the coffee mugs from the table. The coffee mugs got added to the mess in the kitchenette and Castiel grabbed the remote and took a seat on the sofa.

Lysander approached the sofa, but didn’t sit. “May I?” he asked.

Castiel laughed off his discomfort with the vampire being close and his sultry tone and his beautiful features. “I thought vampire’s needed to ask permission to enter a house, not sit on a couch.”

“Interesting rhyme,” Lysander said as he sat down. “And we need neither, although it’s impolite to just barge into places.”

“Oh,” was all Castiel could say. He turned towards the TV and started to look for the movie on the ON Demand section. “So um … what else is wrong?”

“Wrong?” Lysander asked.

“In the folklore. I mean, can you go in sunlight?”

“We can. It hurts our eyes though. We need dark glasses.”

“Okay. Can you eat garlic?”

Here Lysander chuckled. “We don’t eat,” he corrected gently. “But to answer your question, garlic doesn’t hurt us, no. Silver does though. It burns us.”

“Really? Are allergic to it or something?”

“Basically.”

Castiel found the movie and pressed start and as it began to play another question popped into his mind. He knew he shouldn’t, but Castiel had never been good at denying himself what he wanted. Nathaniel said he had too much id and not enough ego and super ego. Castiel thought that description was pretentious as fuck and mostly ignored it.

“Can you have sex?” he asked softly.

Almost instantly, though he was still facing the TV, he could feel the vampire’s eyes on him. It was like sitting under the hot sun, a warm feel spread out across his skin. After several tense seconds, he turned and saw Lysander smiling at him.

“What?” Castiel asked in a guarded tone.

The vampire didn’t answer right away. Instead he sat there, smiling. After several seconds Castiel grew irritated.

“What?!” he asked again, this time more sharply.

“Would you like to have sex with me?” Lysander asked softly.

Castiel blinked and looked away for a moment. When he brought his eyes back to the vampire, he was still smiling. “Can you even have sex?” the red head countered.

Lysander laughed blithely. “Nearly every living creature that walks, flies or crawls on Earth copulates. Vampires are no different. We’re a cousin of the human species, after all.”

“So you can,” Castiel muttered.

Lysander laughed again, raised a hand and placed it on Castiel’s cheek. “I’m going to kiss you,” he said. Then leaned in, slowly, ever so slowly.

He leaned in slow enough that Castiel could have turned away or said something. He could have stopped him in a million different ways, but he didn’t. He opened his mouth and met him halfway.

The kiss was fire. Hot and full of a rage-like passion there was nothing soft about it. Castiel found himself pushed against the arm of the sofa, the vampire stealing his breath with a kiss like burning coals. Heat rose in the pit of his stomach as he clumsily groped for the vampire’s shirt, wanting to undo the buttons and pull off the offending piece of clothing.

Lysander parted with him but Castiel grabbed him.

“No!” was all the red head could manage.

The vampire pried his fingers from the front of his shirt with a laugh. “Patience,” he said soothingly. But despite calling for the oft mentioned virtue, he shed his shirt quickly, then stood up and rid himself of the rest of his clothes too.

Watching the vampire strip, as quick and non-fetishized as it was, filled Castile with lust. He stared at the man’s body, all smooth lines and perfect angles, like his dog, Demon, stared at steak when Castiel decided to use the indoor grill. He wanted to tear into the man. He wanted to put his mouth everywhere it would reach. He didn’t want to love the man; he wanted to devour him.

Everything Castiel was feeling must have been scrawled across his face, because the vampire looked at him and smiled. “You would make a beautiful vampire,” he purred. Then he dropped back onto the sofa.

Not just dropped, though, he lunged at Castiel, pinning the red head down and attacking him with his lips. He peppered his throat with red hot kisses while fondling his half hard cock in his large smooth hands. Castiel moaned shamelessly and bucked into the contact.

“God!” Castiel grunted.

“I assure you, God has nothing to do with this,” Lysander whispered. Then he took one of Castiel’s hand and shoved it down between them until he could rub his own hard organ into it.

It took Castiel a moment to realize what he was touching and when he did he grabbed the appendage and began to stroke it harshly.

The roughness didn’t seem to bother Lysander who just planted a smoldering kiss on Castiel’s neck.

“Can I bite?” he whispered.

Castiel moaned and rocked his hips erratically. “Uh … Uh-huh. Yea. Bite.”

The pain that blossomed in his shoulder lasted but a second, before being replaced with that ecstatic pleasure as the vampire’s venom flooded his system. Lysander bit over and over again, drawing fresh blood and lapping it up hungrily. Time lost meaning as Castiel was overwhelmed with pleasurable feeling. The one coherent thought in his mind was “God, don’t let this end.”


	3. The Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desire tugs at the strings of all involved.

Candy sighed and placed her head on Lysander’s bare chest. They were lounging in bed, having recently eaten their fill off of two clients of the house and had sex. Usually feeding and sex left Candy drowsy and content but instead she was restless. She adjusted her position up against the man’s side and let out a sigh. Lysander, unperturbed by her restlessness, put a calming hand on her head and kissed her forehead.

“Are you feeling well?” he asked gently.

The woman sighed and sat up. “I want that man,” she growled. “The drummer.”

“Nathaniel?” Lysander asked. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Candy breathed. “I just … I can taste him. I want to drink him in.”

“Well they’re gone for now. Off on tour.”

“Let’s follow!” Candy exclaimed as she threw herself down on the bed. “I mean, we can get blood easily enough. Let’s follow them.”

“Dakota will not be happy if we leave. You know he worries about us.”

“I’ll handle Dake,” Candy said dismissively. “Let’s follow them. Leigh is missing that woman.”

“Her name is Rosalya. And yes, Leigh has been sulking.” Lysander paused for a moment before speaking again. “Besides that, I think I miss Castiel. When I saw him last, I almost wanted to turn him.”

“Turn him?! Lysander you wouldn’t.”

“I might,” the grey haired man said. “If he asked me to.” He sat up and shrugged his shirt back onto his shoulders. “Very well,” he said resolutely. “If you can convince Dakota to let us go, then why shouldn’t we follow them? It isn’t often you find such meals to occupy your time.”

“Yes,” Candy agreed. “Let’s go.” 

* * *

 

Castiel sighed and rolled over to grab his pack of cigarette from the nightstand. He pulled one from the pack and put it in his mouth, but before he could light it, it got snatched from his mouth.

“Don’t smoke while I’m in the room,” Nathaniel muttered and tossed the cigarette away. Then, as if to soothe Castiel, he leaned over and kissed him.

It wasn’t often they spent the night together. But when they were drunk or lonely they sought one another out for comfort. It was something the people around them knew about but never talked about.

Nathaniel ran his hand over Castiel’s thigh as he kissed his lips. When he parted with them, only by an inch or so, he took a breath and smiled. “How about round two?” he asked. “It’ll keep you from smoking. You are trying to quit.”

Castiel smiled and reached up to thread his fingers through Nathaniel’s blonde locks. “I am trying to quit.” He kissed the man quickly and smirked. “You want to top? Or bottom?”

The blonde kissed the red-head again before answering. “I’ll bottom this time,” he muttered with a smile. “Be gentle with me.”

“Not a chance,” Castiel told him and pounced.

They were already naked and Nathaniel had bottomed the last time, so there was very little in the way of foreplay. Nathaniel was already slick with a silicone based lube and as Castiel prodding him with the first two fingers of his right hand, the blonde arched and held onto him. Castiel pumped his fingers in and out as he planted hot kisses on the man’s neck.

“Should I bite?” he asked and immediately his mind was filled with images of Lysander. He hated thinking of one person while he was in bed with another, but the vampire was in his system as much as his venom was.

Nathaniel, if he had known what Castiel was thinking, would have forgiven him. The words made him think of Candy.

“God. Yes!” Nathaniel groaned.

Opening his mouth, Castiel licked Nathaniel’s shoulder before biting down. But it was wrong, wrong for both of them. Castiel’s teeth, while sharp, weren’t a vampire’s fangs, they didn’t slice easily through Nathaniel’s tender skin. There was no rush of blood, which Castiel, strangely enough, wanted badly. And for Nathaniel there was no soaring pleasure that the venom brought. The pain mixed with pleasure and felt good, but not good enough.

After only a moment Castiel let go, unsatisfied with the experiment and moved to enter the man.

“I’m going to fuck you into the bed,” he growled.

The blonde responded by kissing him, an invitation to make good on his promise. He only broke the kiss to gasp as Castiel slid inside him for the second time that night. He held Castiel, hands clinging, pressing desperately into his back as Nathaniel rode out Castiel’s feverish, rhythmic pace. The rock together the sound of flesh moving against flesh accompanying needy moans.

Nathaniel reached his orgasm first, breath catching in his throat, muscles tensing. Castiel buried his face into the man’s shoulder and groaned as Nathaniel tightened around him. That sent the red-head over the edge too.

For reasons Castiel didn’t fully understand, he tried one more time to bite Nathaniel’s neck, leaving an ugly bruise behind. But it still wasn’t right. Not for either of them.

They fell into afterglow, one after another, Castiel resting heavily on the blonde until Nathaniel pinched his side and told him to get out of him and off of him. Castiel grumbled, but got off the man and threw himself into the sheets. Nathaniel got up and slid into his boxers, then his jeans.

“Leaving?” Castiel asked.

“Yea, I – What are you doing here?!”

Castiel groaned and sat up to figure out what the blonde was talking about. He found it as soon as he rose. Sitting on the sofa facing the bed, was Lysander and Candy.

The woman was perched neatly on the grey haired man’s lap with one arm thrown around his shoulders. Lysander and Candy had small, somewhat wicked smiles on their faces.

“The fuck?!” Castiel shouted and moved to cover himself up with the sheets.

“Oh no need to be modest,” Candy purred. “You certainly have nothing to be ashamed of.” She tittered and turned to Lysander. “He’s even more beautiful than you said.”

“I’m sure he is,” Lysander said smoothly. “Candy why don’t you take Nathaniel and go. I want to talk to Castiel alone.”

Candy leaned in and kiss Lysander’s mouth sensually before hoping off his lap and taking the dumbstricken Nathaniel by the arm. “Let’s go,” she said. “I’m hungry.” She led him away from the bed and out of the room, leaving his shirt behind on the floor.

Once they were alone, Lysander turned his eyes to Castiel and smiled. Castiel did not return it.

“I thought you said it’s rude to barge into places,” the red-head snapped.

“It is, but you’ll excuse me for being rude once in a while. No one’s perfect.” Lysander floated over to the bed and perched on the edge of it with a smile, crossing on leg over the other. “Castiel,” he began, but didn’t get to finish.

“What are you doing here?” Castiel asked as he reach for his cigarettes.

Lysander raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Why, I came for you, Castiel. Candy, Leigh and Armin came with me. It seems you and your little group of friends have made quite the impression on us. We’ve decided to follow you.”

“Don’t we get a say?” Castiel muttered before lighting up.

Lysander seem to mull over the question before answering. Then he shifted. “If you tell us to leave, I don’t know about the others, but I would leave you alone. Well, I might not go home. You can’t stop me from following your band on your tour. But I certainly would keep my distance. However, if the look on Nathaniel face is any indication, he won’t tell Candy to leave. And Rosalya and Iris were thrilled to see Leigh and Armin. They whisked them away the moment they saw them. You’re the only one making a fuss.”

“I see,” Castiel said and released smoke from his mouth. “Well fine. You can stay. Anyway, I missed you.”

“I could tell,” Lysander said with a smile. “I saw you bite Nathaniel.”

Castiel looked away. “What of it?” He was embarrassed that Lysander had seen that. He couldn’t meet the vampire’s gaze.

“I was thinking, perhaps you would like the right equipment to drink from Nathaniel?”

Now it was Castiel’s turned to be surprised. He turned, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and looked at Lysander with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean by that?”

“Remember I told you that you would make a beautiful vampire? I truly do believe that. Some humans, when exposed to vampire’s venom, react … how should I put this? Differently. They have the normal reaction of pleasure of course, but aside from that they feel compelled to drink blood themselves. They get an urge to bite and a desire to experience that pleasure of feeding from the other side. It fades with time, but it can get quite strong until then.”

Lysander shifted, uncrossed his legs then crossed them again the opposite way.

“Rosalya, from what Leigh tells me, has had a strong secondary reaction. If all goes as expected, he’ll turn her.”

“Rosalya’s going to be a vampire?!” Castiel asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Lysander said easily. “And I’m offering the same to you. I like you Castiel. I would be honor to spend my nights with you.”

“For how long?” the red-head asked.

“How long?”

“Yea. I mean how long do vampire’s live? Are they really immortal?”

“We can be killed,” Lysander answered. “We can be shot, stabbed, strangled.”

“But other than being murdered?”

“We can be poisoned with very specific chemicals. Mostly silver based poisons made to kill us.”

“But other than that!?” Castiel shouted.

“No need to shout. Other than that, we’ll live on. We are, as humans put it, immortal.”

Castiel let out a breath and sat back in bed. “Shit,” he breathed. “And you want to make me like that? Immortal?”

“Not all humans make good vampires,” Lysander said. “But having a secondary reaction to the venom is sign of blood good for vampire-kind. I only want to give you what your biology already is primed for.”

Castiel stared at Lysander. The vampire stared back, his mismatched eyes betraying nothing. After a few minutes, Castiel turned, put out his cigarette and parted his knees.

“Why don’t we have sex?” he said with a smile.

Lysander raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth but didn’t speak for several seconds. When the shock wore off, he chuckled. “You’re … constantly surprising me.”

“Yea? Good to know. Wanna have sex?”

Chuckling and loosening his cravat, Lysander shook his head. “I do. Then we can talk more about me turning you.”

“Yea, yea. Vampire, offer of immortality, big deal. Come here and kiss me.”

Now grinning, the vampire got up and closed the distance between them. “As you wish, my lovely.”


	4. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You loved me and you couldn’t control that. We were both doomed as soon as it happened."

Lysander’s kisses were as oppressively hot as the air in the cab. They should have taken limo back to the hotel, but Candy had dragged Nathaniel to it after the final show of their tour and taken off before the rest of the band had made it to the parking lot. And even if they had been there, there was no way Castiel was getting in the limo with Candy and Nathaniel. Likewise, neither was anyone else. Four couples dry humping in close quarters did not appeal to Castiel. At least not at the moment. If they all got turned, they could have big orgies anytime they wanted for eternity. It wasn’t like they were shy.

Case in point, Lysander’s hand was practically down his pants in the back of the cab and Castiel was busy bucking up into him. If he came in his jeans, he hoped at least the cab driver liked the show.

They stumbled out of the cab in front of the hotel. As Lysander fished some money out of his pocket and practically tossed it at the driver, Castiel kissed his neck and felt the urge to bite washing over him. It didn’t help that Lysander’s free hand was still cupping his crotch.

“Come on,” Castiel breathed. “Come on. Come on!”

Lysander kissed him roughly before pushing his forehead against him. “Patience, love.”

“No!” Castiel snapped and dragged him towards the door. They made it to the elevator before Castiel began unbuttoning Lysander’s pants.

“Wait,” Lysander breathed, but rolled his body so that he pressed up against Castiel. “Let’s get in your room.”

When Castiel tried to grab him and kiss him, Lysander held him with supernatural strength and only kissed the top of his head.

“You won’t be able to do that when I’m the same as you,” Castiel hissed with a smile.

“You plan on accepting my offer?”

“Only if you fuck me.”

Lysander smiled and pressed his mouth to Castiel’s a moment before the elevator signaled they were at their floor. In a flash Castiel found himself alone in the elevator; Lysander already far down the hallway, walking backwards, waving Castiel’s room key in his hand. Castiel didn’t bother to check his pockets. This wasn’t the first time Lysander had pickpocketed him since he and the other vampires had started following the band. Castiel simply followed with a smirk on his face.

An eternity of this didn’t seem so bad.

In the room, Lysander threw Castiel on the bed and pulled off his coat and shirt while eyeing him. Castiel stripped as best he could while staying on his back and managed to get mostly undressed before Lysander pounced on him and ripped the rest of his clothes from him. Well, that wasn’t the first time that had happened, either. Castiel would get more clothes.

Rocking as Lysander’s mouth played with the flared end of the short, thick toy Lysander had asked him to wear under his clothes during the concert, Castiel moaned. He needed Lysander. He wanted Lysander to press into him so hard it broke him.

And Lysander didn’t disappoint. The pace was relentless. Castiel could barely breathe past the suffocating ecstasy and the hand on his throat. Lysander held him down making pain blur with pleasure. The vampire was killing him. Castiel was sure he was going to die there with Lysander on top of him. And it was absolutely perfect.

Castiel screamed and felt himself come apart. His vision blackened, but he still felt everything. Lysander inside him, the vampire’s mouth clamping down so hard on his shoulder that Castiel thought the bone would splinter. And then, this terrible emptiness as Lysander pulled away washed over him.

He wanted to protest, but Castiel could only tremble quietly with need. That need was satiated shortly when he felt Lysander pick him up and press his head down into the crook of his shoulder. Castiel found the gash in Lysander’s skin without trying and felt himself drinking greedily.

The blood didn’t seem to the stop. Castiel drank blindly until he lost consciousness and fell into a comfortable, black sleep.

 

* * *

 

Castiel shifted in place. He was in so much pain. The bite mark that Lysander had used to turn him a few days earlier was still healing and it stung under the bandages. His skin was more sensitive now and the fabric of his clothes was suddenly rougher than he liked. Under all that, he ached. His muscles and bones and his head. Everything hurt. Lysander said it came with the turning process, but it didn’t make the pain any easier to bare.

“You’ll feel better when you feed for the first time,” Lysander whispered.

“When will that be?” Castiel croaked. He was so thirsty.

“We’re waiting for the others,” Lysander reminded him soothingly. “Don’t you want to see your friends?”

He might have answered, but before he could, the door opened. Leigh held the door to the suite open and Rosalya glided in, grace in her movements, but pain marring her face.

“It hurts?” Castiel called.

Rosalya smiled, relief on her features. “I thought I’d be the only one,” she whispered and as she approached it was clear she was pushing through the same pain that Castiel was suffering from.

Castiel stood and they embraced. It was torture but somehow that didn’t matter.

“Where’s Nathaniel?” Lysander asked.

Looking up, Castiel noticed that Candy had trailed into the room behind Rosalya. She looked like she’d been crying. Castiel looked from her to Rosalya.

“Where’s the idiot?” he asked.

Candy walked unsteadily towards the group, with Leigh hovering just behind her as if she would fall, and when she got close she let out a sob. Lysander pulled her to him and held her. Leigh watched them for a moment before turning towards Rosalya and Castiel.

“He didn’t make it,” Leigh muttered softly. “He wasn’t suited for the blood and it burned him to death.”

“Burned him?”

“Didn’t Lysander explain it to you?” Rosalya asked.

Castiel narrowed his eyes and gave Lysander a flat look. “No. I’m not even sure what exactly he should have told me.”

Lysander, still holding Candy, bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Castiel. I was so eager that I got carried away. You see, when a vampire is made, their blood is partially drained and replaced with vampire blood.”

“That much I know,” Castiel sneered. When Lysander looked hurt and Candy gave him trembling stare, he softened. “Sorry,” he muttered. “So what else?”

“Vampire blood is like an acid when mixed with human blood,” Leigh continued. “It burns the human DNA out of a person leaving behind only the DNA of the vampire.”

“So vampires were the first humans, and humans are some sort of offshoot?”

“He’s clever,” Leigh commented to Lysander. “Yes, that’s possible. Probable even. Vampire blood burns the humanity out of a human leaving vampire DNA and holes. Those holes are then filled in with the maker’s blood as it attaches to the offspring’s leftover vampire DNA. But a maker’s blood can only fill in so much. If too much of the human’s DNA is actual human DNA, when the humanity gets burnt out of them, there’s nothing left for the maker’s blood to attach to.”

Candy sobbed again, burying her face in Lysander’s chest. Lysander stroked her arm gently.

“Castiel,” Rosalya said breathlessly. “Nath didn’t make it.”

“Yea,” he muttered in answer.

Castiel felt his heart sink. In spite of all their fighting, deep down Castiel had liked – no, had loved the idiot. They’d been through so much together. They might have played at rivalry, but they were each other’s support system. They didn’t sleep together out of physical need. They were rock stars; they could get a groupie if they wanted. No, it was because some part of them were in love. Castiel had gone into this thinking he would have both Lysander and Nathaniel by his side forever and now Nathaniel was gone.

Castiel felt himself holding onto Rosalya tighter and felt her tuck herself into him. That felt good. At least they had each other. They could comfort Candy too, he supposed. Lysander would know what to do; he seemed very close to her. And Iris was always good with the sad and the grieving, it was her gift. The three of them would be able to pull together, just like always.

“Where’s Iris?” Castiel muttered.

“She’s okay isn’t she?” Rosalya said with an edge of hysterics in her voice. “She made it, didn’t she?”

“I don’t know,” Leigh admitted. “I went to check on them while you were still sleeping, but they weren’t in their room. But Armin knows we have to meet here before we leave and he wouldn’t have gone too far.”

“But,” Castiel said, “are you sure Iris made it through being turned?”

Neither Leigh nor Lysander answered.

 

* * *

 

They were resting on the bed. The hotel room where they were waiting for Armin and Iris wasn’t quite a suite. It looked more like a studio apartment. From the bed they would see the rest of apartment as well as the door, which was situated across from them. They originally were going to sit on the sofa, but Leigh suggested bed and they had sort of agreed by non-disagreement to follow his advice.

Candy was too distraught to care where they sat. Lysander was busy trying to keep her from having a total meltdown. Whatever she was on verge of it was bad. Lysander kept muttering things like: “Not here.” and “Don’t show them this. Not now.” Part of Castiel wanted to ask what was happening. Most of him didn’t have enough energy to care about Candy. Rosalya was grieving for Nathaniel as well and worried about Iris. Leigh wanted to keep an eye on her. That was probably why he’d suggested the bed.

Castiel was in the middle with his legs stretched out in front of him and his ankles crossed. To his right, Rosalya was curled into him, one arm squeezing his. Castiel could see Rosalya’s other hand resting on her knee, with her fingers laced with Leigh’s. On Castiel’s other side, Lysander was sitting a little ways away. His arm was stretched out, holding Castiel’s hand, squeezing it every so often. Candy was on his lap, facing Castiel. Mostly she had her face in Lysander’s hair, but every so often she would sob and reach forward to stroke the side of Castiel’s face gently. “Poor thing,” she would mutter.

Castiel didn’t like being pitied and his body was screaming in pain at all the physical contact. But he was hurting. He’d lost his first love and now didn’t know if he was going to see one of his best friends ever again. The closeness, the feeling of being together with people who loved him and were suffering with him was more important to him than his pride or any physical pain he might be feeling.

He leaned into Rosalya. His newly heightened senses could smell the scent of her body, not her perfume or her shampoo, but her skin and sweat. He let it engulf him. And he squeezed Lysander’s hand as if it was the last thing he would ever do. There was a steady thump-thump under the vampire’s skin that was soothing.

He could have gone to sleep. That would have been nice, actually. To sleep for a while and forget would mean he’d get to see Nathaniel again and maybe get to say goodbye. He hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye the last time he’d seen him. Castiel had been too preoccupied with Lysander; Nathaniel had been too wrapped up in Candy. They hadn’t even said goodbye.

Castiel wondered if Candy had gotten to say anything to him before he was gone. Did she try to turn him like Lysander had successfully turned him? Had she crushed the human out of him, burnt the mortality out of him, without so much as a word of comfort or promise of being there for him. It had worked out well for Lysander, but what if it hadn’t? What if Castiel had slipped away? Was that why Lysander was squeezing his hand? Was it why he seemed to glance at him with guilt? Maybe vampires weren’t supposed to turn humans that way, with force and brutality. Maybe Candy had laid Nathaniel down after ripping him apart to turn him and it had never occurred to her that he would never get up.

Suddenly Castiel let go of Rosalya and Lysander. They both made a noise like whining animals, but he ignored them and put his hands on either side of Candy’s head. His body screamed, but he pulled her forward and pressed a kiss to her mouth. He felt her kiss him back and felt her tears on his face.

“Isn’t that sweet?”

Candy and Castiel parted and whole group looked towards the door. Dake stood there smiling by the open door.

“I’m glad everyone is getting along,” he said. “It’s so important for a family to be cohesive.”

“You’re not our family,” Rosalya muttered.

Castiel smirked. Well at least there was some fight left her.

But Dake laughed. “Boys! You haven’t taught them the rule and reason yet? Tsk, tsk. Up, up. Everybody up.”

To Castiel’s utter shock Candy got off Lysander’s lap and they both got up. Lysander reached back for him and pulled him off the bed by the arm. A squeak caused Castiel to look back. Leigh had hauled Rosalya to her feet on the other side of the bed.

The Lysander, Candy and Leigh herder Rosalya and Castiel to the front of the bed and stood them in the middle of them of them. Dake smiled in approval.

“Now,” he said sharply. “There are two things you need to know in this family. The first is the rule. Not rules. Rule. One rule. The second thing, is why that rule is present. The reason. Okay? Ready? The one rule is: I rule you.”

“The hell you do,” Castiel spat only to have Lysander squeeze his wrist so hard he whimpered.

Dake made a tsking sound again and shook his head. “I thought you might say that, Castiel. Some offspring do and I figured you’d be one of them. It’s probably why Lysander didn’t tell you the two things you need to know before he turned you. He probably knew you’d never agree to the change if he had. Well, what’s done is done. So here’s the reason the rule is in place. Armin!”

From outside the door, Armin walked into the room. He looked like Candy had looked when she had opened to the door, only worse.

“Iris?” Rosalya asked.

“She isn’t coming,” Dake answered. “Armin tell them why.”

Armin trembled and swallowed, his bloodshot eyes darting from Dake to the group. “Dake killed her,” he muttered.

Castiel felt himself flying forward practically before the words left the air. He was going to kill Dake. It was the only thing in his mind. He was going to kill him.

“Castiel, stop!”

Suddenly he pinched forward. Castiel’s legs just gave out from under him and he ended up on the floor. For a moment he struggled with the shock, but after a couple of seconds he turned around on the floor and looked at Lysander. It was his voice that had called out to him.

Lysander looked like he was in pain. His eyes were wet. “It won’t do you any good,” he said. “Get up and come back here.”

Immediately and without wanting to, Castiel got up, walked back to the line and took his place between Lysander and Rosalya.

“See?” Dake said. “This is why you need to understand why the rule is in place. You see, when a vampire is made they become linked to their maker. They can’t hurt them and they have to obey them. Not forever, mind you. But for five hundred years from the night of their making. And, anyone made by a vampire still under their maker’s control, can’t hurt their grandmaker. Now a grandmaker can’t hurt their offspring’s offspring. But to their own offspring they can do this.”

Leigh screamed. Rosalya gasped and jumped back from him. Castiel heard Lysander moan behind closed lips under Leigh’s screaming. Leigh’s knees buckled and he ended up on the floor, holding his hand in his hands as he roared in what must have been torturous pain. After several agonizing seconds, he stopped screaming, lurched like he was going to throw up and fell forward only to catch himself on his hand so that he was on all fours. He was shaking and Rosalya approached carefully.

“Leigh?” she muttered.

“Don’t be such a baby, Leigh,” Dake muttered tiredly. “Get up.”

With a groan Leigh pushed himself up and got to his feet. Castiel wasn’t sure what happened or how Leigh was standing after it.

“See? A maker has almost complete control over their offspring. No maker tells a human they want to turn about that, for one reason or another. I didn’t tell Leigh because … well because I never spoke to him before I turned him.”

Dake laughed and his fangs showed for the first time.

“I saw him walking down the street. He was so pretty. It was already night. Vampires may only be as strong as a human during the day, but at night we’re supernatural – if you’ll excuse the pun. I grabbed, pulled him away to where no one would hear him screaming, held him down and … well the rest is very private. Isn’t it, Leigh?”

Leigh stood there and said nothing.

“Believe me, he agrees. He’s never even spoken of it to Lysander, and I never even told him not to. In fact I once almost told him to tell him and Leigh begged me not to. He just doesn’t want him to know the intimate details. He can be so shy. Anyway!”

Advancing on the group, Dake pointed at Leigh. “I turned Leigh.” He moved his finger over Rosalya and Castiel and stopped on Lysander. “And Leigh turned Lysander. See after I made him I told Leigh we were going away and he begged me to let him see his little brother before we left. He wanted to tell him some story so that he wouldn’t worry about him and wouldn’t come looking for him. It was the first time he ever begged him for something.”

Stopping just in front of Lysander, Dake stared at him silently for a moment.

“Well, it was the first time he begged me for something as a vampire. As a human … ahaha, as I said that’s private. And I’m nothing if not generous. I let him see his brother. How was I know he’d turn him? Leigh didn’t know the reason behind the rule, so when Lysander asked to be turned and come with him, he was just grateful to be bring him along.

“That brings us to Candy. Poor Candy. Lysander found her in a brothel, a real brothel, when he was looking for food and he just couldn’t bring himself to drain her dry like he should. I was going to have Leigh punish him. Leigh! Eight seconds please.”

Now it was Lysander’s turn to scream. He hunched over in agony and Castiel grabbed him and held him up. He could feel something running under Lysander’s skin, like a current of electricity making his muscles jump. After what must have been eight seconds and Lysander stopped screaming with a little groan and stood up straight. Castiel didn’t let go of him.

“But,” Dake went on, “Leigh loves to beg me. He begged for his brother and for Candy, too. Lysander had fallen in love with Candy, how sweet. And I made them a deal. They could try to turn her. If she turned, she would be part of our family. If she didn’t … well you know what happens to humans who don’t make good vampires, don’t you?”

He paused. “Well, maybe you don’t know actually. Leigh tell me if they know.”

“They don’t know,” Leigh growled. It was clear every word was being dragged out of him against his will.

“Aha! They don’t! Well, I’ll tell you. Vampire blood burns the humanity out of human and leaves behind vampire DNA for the maker’s blood to attach to and BAM! Vampire. But if there’s nothing for the maker’s blood to attach to, it just keeps burning, and burning, and burning.”

He grinned and took a step towards Castiel.

“Can you imagine a human being boiled alive from the inside out,” he whispered. “Their eyes explode as the water in them turns to steam, and then run out of the sockets. Their cheeks sink it as the moisture in their mouth disappears. They’re all covered in sweat and the sweat smells like burning flesh. At the end, even though they’re unconscious, you can see their muscles jerking around as their brain liquefies in their skull.”

Dake laughed as he backed up. “I heard the sloppy mess that’s left over is actually delicious. I swear I’ll try it one day. Anyway! I offered my babies a deal and I made sure they’d agree. I told them, if they refused to try to turn her I’d torture her to death. And I can make torture last for days or weeks. I made them sit through a two week demonstration, just to prove my point. So Lysander went and made her and here she is!”

Dake threw his arms out in a flourish and turned in a circle. When he stopped he was standing between the group and Armin, looked from side to side, first at him then at them.

“Armin, if you can believe it, was suicidal. His twin brother had just been murdered by some very religious men with strong opinions about who men should and shouldn’t have sex with, and Armin was so upset. Candy - stupid, stupid, selfish Candy - loved him and decided she’d rather have him with her than dead. She knew the reason behind the rule, but she loved him and couldn’t see him die.

“So in the end what have we learned, children? That love is a weakness. And you’d think my line would have learned that, but they didn’t. They found your little band and they fell in love. Poor selfish babies. They didn’t even tell you what they were doing to you. Well, it was for your own good. Because when they left to go after you, Candy said they were going to kill you. But I knew better. I knew love when I saw it. So I let them go and made them the same deal I had made Lysander with Candy. Take it or leave it. They didn’t want you all to be tortured to death so they took it.”

Pointing at Castiel then Rosalya, Dake smiled.

“It turned out okay for you two. They have you and you have them, and you will for the next five hundred years. Isn’t that wonderful? Well even if you think it isn’t, you’re stuck now! They own you!”

He laughed.

“Poor Nathaniel wasn’t so lucky. I went to find Candy and Nath after I dealt with little Iris, and found Candy crying over his body.”

Reaching out, he pant Candy’s head.

“It was so hard for you to see him like that, wasn’t it? It hurt you so much, I didn’t even taste his boiled brain liquid. That’s how much I care. Castiel, Rosalya, my babies. I hope you don’t have to see a human burnt out from vampire blood until you’re grown up and mature, maybe with some offspring of your own. It’s not a very pretty sight. Good thing I saved Iris from that fate. Didn’t I, Armin?”

“Why did you kill Iris?” Castiel growled. He felt Lysander’s hand on his wrist, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew he couldn’t do anything. But he had to know.

Dake smiled. “She wasn’t fit for the blood. Unlike Candy, Armin came to terms with that. He knew he couldn’t turn her, and that to try would be agonizing for her. He begged me – oh how fond all my line are of begging – begged me to have mercy. And I did. I told him to just kill her. And when he said he couldn’t, that he just couldn’t, I did it for him.”

He chuckled.

“Of course, I took a fee for my favor. I won’t tell you about it. I know Leigh would be jealous, since he guards the knowledge of our intimate time with such fervor. But it was wonderfully passionate. Armin could tell you. He was there. I asked him to stay and he knew the rule. He wouldn’t want the order to go down the chain and get Candy hurt. So, there is. The whole matter. Now, we’re leaving, my babies. I have a new home waiting for us. Oh! Leigh, remind me how long ago I turned you.”

“In two months it will be four hundred and ninety-seven years.”

“That long?! I really only have three more years with my little family? I suppose you’ll be taking them all away when you're all grown up and they’re officially your line, won’t you, Leigh. Ah, such is the way of the world. Babies grow up. But until then, I’ll be waiting down stairs. I got us a car to take us to the airport. Be quick! International planes don’t wait on stragglers.”

With that Dake turned, waltzed passed Armin, who flinched at his approach, and left the room, closing the door him.

Castiel stared at the door. He felt numb.

“I’m sorry,” Lysander murmured.

“Can you read my thoughts?” Castiel asked absently.

“God, no! Our minds are the only thing that’s still our own.”

Castiel looked at Lysander. Suddenly, he didn’t look dark, mysterious, sexy or powerful. He look broken.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“For falling in love with me?” Castiel asked and when Lysander laughed bitterly then went to say something, he cut him off. “That’s what happened. The rest, the rule and the reason and everything else, that doesn’t matter. You loved me and you couldn’t control that. We were both doomed as soon as it happened. No matter how things played out afterwards, as soon as you fell in love with me, as soon as all of you,” he glanced quickly around, “fell in love with us, we were all going to suffer. None of you could have stopped it if you had tried. Why cry about it? It won’t change anything.” Castiel clenched his fists. “It won’t help,” he whispered darkly.

Rosalya let out a sob next to him, and Castiel reached for her hand. She took it, but pulled him towards Leigh as she closed to the distance between them.

“Three years isn’t so long,” she said. Her voice was cracking. “You’ll take us away after that, right?”

Lysander and Leigh closed around them on side of them closest to the bed. Suddenly, Candy and Armin were on their other side, boxing Rosalya and Castiel in. Somehow, Castiel was unsurprised at how safe he felt, if only in the knowledge they wouldn’t be alone.

“Dake is a psychopath,” Lysander muttered into Castiel’s hair. “But he has little company.”

“Normal vampires aren’t like him,” Leigh went on. “There are places we can go, people who’ll take us in, once I’m free. I know people who hate Dakota, who’d love to have us.”

“It’s only three more years,” Candy breathed. “We’ll be free in three more years.” She turned her head and kissed Armin’s cheek who gave a little grunt in response.

“See?” Rosalya muttered on the verge of hysterics. “We’ll be okay. We’re going to be okay.”

They stood together trembling.

 


End file.
